I’ve been very slowly designing our guest bedroom this year and stumbled upon the most gorgeous nightstands from Lulu and Georgia. Being a DIYer, I couldn’t justify the price, so I started scouring the internet for some leg options.
My searches came up empty, so I decided to inquire about getting legs custom made. Surprisingly, they only cost about $30/leg! I’ll share more details about ordering the legs in step 1!
Because we got custom legs to match the original design, this DIY nightstand is a dupe of the Topia Nightstand from Lulu and Georgia with a few small adjustments (including making the drawer box slightly larger).
Including the custom legs, the cost for 2 nightstands came out right around $500, or $250 a nightstand. When you compare that to the $998 that the original sells for, I’d say it’s a pretty good deal!
Alright, let’s dive in and start DIYing!
How to Build a Nightstand with a Drawer
Recommended Tools:
- Miter Saw (we use this blade with ours)
- Kreg 310 pocket hole jig
- Drill
- Circular Saw with a cutting track
- Jigsaw
- Random Orbital Sander
- Brad Nailer
- Clamps
- Measuring Tape (new to DIY? Be sure to check out this post with measuring tips)
- Safety Equipment
Shopping List (for two nightstands):
- (1) ¾” x4x8 plywood (we used red oak)
- (1) ½” x4x4 plywood (we used maple)
- (2) 1x4x6 (we used red oak)
- (4) 1 x ¾” x 8 red oak trim/shelf edge (the official name changes every other week…)
- Wood glue (this is our favorite type)
- Wood filler (we use this one, but be sure to check out our wood filler experiment to decide which might be best for your project)
- Sandpaper (120, 180, and 220 grit)
- ¾!– /wp:list-item –>
- 1” wood screws
- 1.25” Kreg fine thread screws
- 1.25” Kreg coarse thread screws
- 1.25” nails
- (4) custom furniture legs (we got ours from Etsy)
- (2) knobs or a drawer pull
- 16” drawer slides
Dimensions
The final dimensions of this nightstand are 18” D x 25” W x 30.5” H.
The complete cut list is available in the printable plan.
STEP 1: ORDER THE FURNITURE LEGS
We ordered our furniture legs from this shop on Etsy. They don’t currently have these exact furniture legs as an option, but send them a message and tell them that Zoe from Pine and Poplar sent you. Below is a screenshot you can include in your message with the details of the dimensions.
Let them know how many legs you need and they will make you a custom order. The process was surprisingly simple and they came within two weeks of ordering.
STEP 2: MAKE YOUR JIGSAW CUTS
You will need to make jigsaw cuts on 3 pieces initially. First, cut notches in the bottom piece to fit around the legs. Check out the printable plans for all of the exact cuts and dimensions.
Second, draw a curve on one of your 1×4 side detail pieces. I just freehanded this. The smallest part of the side detail piece on mine is 1”, but you’re welcome to customize the height and design.
Rather than trying to freehand your two side detail pieces to match, use the first one you cut as a template for the second one. Place the 1st piece you cut on top of the second piece and trace the curve.
Use an orbital sander to smooth out the cut. We also used a sander to round out the edges so that there weren’t sharp corners on the top of the side detail pieces.
STEP 3: DRILL POCKET HOLES
Using the ¾” settings, drill pocket holes in the following pieces:
- (2) on either short end of the side stretchers
- (2) on either short end of the back and (3) on one long end of the back
- (3) on either short end of the bottom
Note: you might see a lot of extra pocket holes in our photos. As we were assembling, we discovered an easier way to make the nightstands. This tutorial shares that easier way. With it, you only need the pocket holes shown above.
STEP 4: ASSEMBLE MAIN STRUCTURE
Using glue and 1.25” fine thread Kreg screws, secure a side stretcher between two legs. The side stretcher should be flush with the top and outside of the legs. Repeat with the second set of legs and second side stretcher.
Using glue and 1.25” fine thread Kreg screws, attach the two sides using the back piece. The back should be flush with the back and top of the legs. Make sure your 3 pocket holes are positioned so that they can be used to secure the bottom piece.
Place the bottom piece so that it’s flush with the back of the back piece and clamp it in place. Flip your nightstand over so that it’s standing on its feet.
Secure the back to the bottom using 1.25” coarse thread Kreg screws. Then secure the bottom to the sides using 1.25” coarse thread Kreg screws, making sure that the bottom stays nice and straight.
STEP 5: ATTACH TOP
Place the top on the main structure, securing it with glue and 1.25” nails. The nails will be covered by the top detail pieces.
STEP 6: ADD TOP DETAIL PIECES
Now that the top is attached, you can secure the top detail pieces with glue and clamps. Leave each piece clamped for at least 30 minutes to let the glue begin to set.
Start by securing the back piece. It should be flush with the sides and back of the top. Then secure the side detail pieces. This should be flush with the sides of the top and butt up against the back piece.
STEP 7: INSTALL TRIM
If you want to use your miter saw to cut your trim, be sure to prep it for making small cuts prior to the first cut. The trim is small and the miter saw is powerful, so it’s very common for the miter saw to “snap” the trim, causing it to kickback if your saw is not properly prepped to cut it.
Cut your trim to cover the plywood edges on the top and bottom of the nightstand, cutting each corner at 45-degrees to create a nice mitered corner.
Secure the trim in place using glue and 1.25” nails.
STEP 8: INSTALL BOTTOM SHELF
Cut the bottom shelf to size and then place the nightstand on top of the piece. Center it up and trace where you need to cut out the corners to be able to fit around the legs.
Cut the curve using a jigsaw and then add a pocket hole using the ¾” settings to each of the corners. This is one of the rare instances when you’ll need to use the Kreg 310.
Regardless of which pocket hole model you like to use on the majority of projects, we always recommend everyone have a Kreg 310 in their shop for the unique situations like this where it’s the only pocket hole jig that will allow you to position your pocket hole exactly where you need it.
Cover the straight plywood edges with edge banding.
Mark 4.75” from the bottom of each leg. This is where the bottom of the shelf will go.
Line your shelf up with those marks and secure the shelf to the legs using 1.25” fine thread Kreg screws.
STEP 9: BUILD AND INSTALL DRAWER BOX
Measure the opening and build your drawer box to size. We like to assemble ours with pocket holes.
We used two different brands of drawer slides for this project because that’s what we already had on hand. For one brand, we were able to screw the slides into the back leg and front legs without any issue.
For the other brand, the furthest back holes were not far enough back to secure into the leg, so we needed to cut some scrap pieces of wood to glue to the inside of the drawer sides to make them flush with the legs before installing the slides.
Since this is an inset drawer design, make sure you place the slides far enough back to account for the drawer front.
STEP 10: INSTALL DRAWER FRONT
To create the drawer front, cut your plywood to size (¼” smaller than the overall opening). Apply edge banding to all four edges of the drawer front.
Measure ⅝” from the top and bottom of the drawer front. Adjust the depth of your circular saw blade so that it only cuts through the top layer of the plywood and cut a groove in your wood for an added detail.
Now drill the holes for your hardware. We measured 3.5” from either side and marked the vertical center. Drill all the way through using a 3/16” drill bit. We used the Kreg Drill Guide to ensure our holes for the hardware were nice and straight.
Center up your drawer front on your nightstand. We like to use playing cards as spacers. Temporarily secure the drawer front to the drawer box with wood screws.
Carefully open up the drawer and secure the drawer box to the drawer front using (4) 1” screws on the inside of the drawer box.
Remove the wood screws from your hardware holes and use a 3/16” drill bit to drill all the way through the drawer box.
Now you’re ready to install the drawer knobs. That said, I like to stain and seal before actually installing the hardware.
STEP 11: STAIN AND SEAL
Since the legs are a different wood type than the rest of the project, we opted for a solid stain so that the coloring would be more consistent. We tried out a few different stain options and felt like a solid stain or Polyshades would get the most even color.
We first applied a water-based pre-stain wood conditioner, let it dry for 20 minutes, and then lightly sanded it with 220 grit sandpaper.
We then applied Minwax Solid Stain in Special Walnut (you have to get this tinted at the paint counter). We found that brushing it on and then wiping off the excess with a staining pad gave us the most control over the finish. We very lightly wiped off the excess at the end to keep it more solid.
For the legs, I brushed on the stain and then wiped off the excess with a rag. The leg details were very absorbent, so I didn’t need to wipe off the excess with much control to get a deep color – plus, I loved the look of the grain on the legs and wanted to show it off!
Finally, we applied one coat of Minwax Polycrylic Max in a satin sheen. I was actually really impressed with the one-coat application. I fully expected to need a second coat, but ended up leaving it with just a single coat. Talk about a time saver compared to my usual 3 coats!
There you have it! Now you know how to build a beautiful nightstand with some very unique legs! I always think that buying pre-made legs for furniture builds is a great way to make your project look like it couldn’t possibly be a DIY!
This nightstand is currently paired with:
